Move Seen as Way to Weaken Putin's Hand in Ukrainian Crisis

By

Amy Harder

March 24, 2014 12:02 p.m. ET

WASHINGTON—The Obama administration's approval of a seventh application to export natural gas drew cautious praise from a number of U.S. lawmakers who have been putting pressure on President Barack Obama to allow more gas exports as a way to weaken Russia's power over Ukraine.

"I am proud that the U.S. Department of Energy has heeded my calls to speed its approval of pending liquefied-natural-gas export terminals," Sen. Mark Udall, (D., Colo.) said in a statement following the Energy Department's announcement...